Recently, the use of electronic maps has become wide-spread on in-vehicle or portable GPS devices, applications on mobile devices, or other devices. Such electronic maps often convey information about roads, traffic, buildings, landmarks, terrain, etc., related to geographical regions of interest. Some electronic maps may be interactive, allowing users, for example, to view a map of a particular location (e.g., specific address, city, state, country, etc.) and the surrounding locations. A user may also use the map to receive route information to a particular address, either when stationary or while travelling, by various GPS or other location detecting means.
Interactive maps may also provide information about various points of interest (POIs) at or near a location selected or specified by a user. A POI may be, for example, a specific business, destination, or attraction that is useful or interesting to an individual or a group of individuals, or that the individual or the group may want to visit. By way of example, POIs on a map display may represent gas stations, rest areas, hotels, restaurants, museums, hospitals, historical sites in a specific geographic area, houses for sale, etc. A POI may also correspond to a movie theater showing a particular film, a restaurant that serves a specific type of food, such as pizza, etc.
Electronic maps, either interactive or non-interactive, may be used for planning or taking regular trips to the same location (e.g., daily commuting from home to work), new short-distance trips to unfamiliar locations, long-distance vacation road-trips, or any other type of travel. While on a trip, such as a road-trip, many people take breaks to use rest areas, re-fuel, eat, etc. Although the routes for such trips are often planned out in advance, for example, using the above-mentioned electronic mapping services, the breaks often are not planned out. This often leads to breaks taking place locations that may not be the best suited for a particular traveler, for example, not in accordance with a user's POI preferences, resulting in an unsatisfactory trip, wasted travel time, and increased fuel consumption.
Accordingly, a need exists for systems and methods for providing user-customizable break point information, based, in part, on user inputs. In addition, a need exists for systems enabling users to quickly and easily add POIs to their trip at suggested break points, thereby easing trip planning. In addition, a need exists for systems that provide suggested travel break points based on route leg time/distance, POI density, and/or user travel break preferences.